The village with dolls but no children – and Japan’s existential crisis, CNA, 17 August 2019

CNA carried an in-depth article about Japan’s ageing and declining population, which is projected to shrink by almost a third by 2065. Speaking on CNA’s current affairs programme, Insight, episode 15 on ‘Japan’s Demographic Time Bomb’, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Economics) Xing Xia explained a number of reasons for this, including Japan’s aversion to immigration, and a social stigma about women who work too much or who do not have children. She believes that it may take the country another two decades to figure out how to generate productivity growth without population growth, with a more flexible labour practice and a bit more gender equality. The article was also republished in Intellasia.